Now may be time to take a shot at staving off the flu

Updated 2:07 am, Friday, December 21, 2012

Manuel Reyes, 65, gets a flu shot from Walgreens staff pharmacist Amina Mhanna at the drugstore in the 7000 block of South Zarzamora Street.

Manuel Reyes, 65, gets a flu shot from Walgreens staff pharmacist Amina Mhanna at the drugstore in the 7000 block of South Zarzamora Street.

Photo: Edward A. Ornelas, San Antonio Express-News

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A pharmacist prepares a flu inoculation. The CDC recommends a yearly flu vaccine for everyone 6 months and older.

A pharmacist prepares a flu inoculation. The CDC recommends a yearly flu vaccine for everyone 6 months and older.

Photo: File Photo, Associated Press

Now may be time to take a shot at staving off the flu

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Better stock up on tissues and chicken soup.

Flu season has arrived in San Antonio in all its achy, feverish glory. The virus has come earlier than usual, and it likely will proliferate as families congregate for holiday celebrations.

“There are lots of people out there incubating the flu right now, and they're all going to get together early next week and spread it around,” said Dr. David Gude, chief operating officer for Texas MedClinic. “That's what togetherness brings you: Santa and germs.”

Typically, flu cases begin popping up in December and peak by mid-February. This year, health officials across the U.S. began detecting cases in October, and the number of cases had become significant by the middle of November, said Dr. Pedro A. Piedra, a professor in the department of molecular virology and microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

“We have had an 85 percent increase in positive flu tests in the last week,” he said.

Some local schools are reporting more cases of flu than is typical at this time of year, affecting attendance on some campuses. Judson's attendance records for Tuesday ranged from 89 percent to 95 percent, depending on the school, down from typical attendance of 95 percent to 99 percent, a district spokesman said.

It's difficult to know how many people are battling the flu. The state health department doesn't track every case of influenza, which affects up to 20 percent of U.S. residents every year, but monitors the prevalence through a surveillance network of health care providers.

The influenza virus is notoriously unpredictable, experts said, which is why it's hard to say why flu season began early, when the outbreak will peak or when it will end.

“The flu bug doesn't read the textbook, so it doesn't always show up when it's supposed to,” said Texas MedClinic's Gude, who Thursday was filling in for a physician out sick with the virus.

Influenza has not peaked, so expect to see plenty more cases in the coming weeks. The flu typically spikes in January when children, who in general are the most susceptible to influenza infection, return to school from vacation.

One of the major viruses circulating this season is H3N2, which historically has been responsible for the highest number of deaths in a regular flu season, typically in older adults.

The good news: This year's flu vaccine protects against H3N2, in addition to the strains H1N1 and B/Wisconsin.

“Most of the viruses that are circulating are covered with the vaccine,” Piedra said.

It's not too late to get vaccinated, although it can take up to two weeks after vaccination for the immunity to kick in, said Amina Mhanna, a pharmacist at the Walgreens at South Zarzamora Street and Southwest Military Drive.

The shot won't give you the flu, despite anecdotal evidence to the contrary, she said. People who become sick after the getting the vaccine may not have received it in time or may be suffering from another virus with flu-like symptoms.

The CDC recommends everyone ages 6 months or older to get vaccinated against the flu, especially people older than 65, children younger than age 2, pregnant women and people with chronic medical conditions.

The vaccine, available via shot and nasal spray, will be effective through flu season, which can last through May.

Vaccinations are available at doctors' offices, pharmacies and community clinics.

At USAA, a mobile vaccination clinic traveled through office corridors to dole out free shots to employees for about three weeks in October.

“We vaccinated about half of our employees,” said Dr. Peter Wald, USAA enterprise medical director. “If you can get to about 50 percent of your population, it really makes it very difficult for the virus to get started in your group. That's also true for a community.”